DeWalt 735 Planer knife issues
BufordKingfish
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I’m thinking of buying a DeWalt 735 planer. Every review I have read gives it a high rating, but I find that a lot of users give it a bad hit because of knives that wear out fast and are very expensive to replace. Is this just a group of disgruntled users, or does the DeWalt really have a knife problem? Any body got any answers?
Replies
Near as I can tell, it is (or at least was) a real issue. So real that there are after-market blades available. I remember reading one post that indicated that DeWalt had re-formulated the blades, but I don't know if that's true. Look around and see if you can't find replacement blades by a different company.
My solution is this:
I like the DeWalt planer so much that I will keep it.
The cost of blades is too high.
I will buy the Makita 13" planer, which has had very good reviews for quality output and for long-lasting, quality blades. I have not done this yet because I am not planing much at this time and am spending my money elsewhere.
I believe that when companies like DeWalt try to hook you into the continuous financial bloodletting of buying batteries, knives, and other accessories when you shouldn't have to, the only effective way to deal with it is to find an alternate solution which still allows you to receive the benefits of that which you have already trustingly paid for.
Thus you give a little more of your money to the competition even if it is break-even for you. This incentive, multiplied by many thousands of customers, can be a very effective way of getting their attention.
Therefore, I will still have this excellent planer, but will get a longer life out of the blades by using it only for final passes.
I just wish I had kept my Delta planer, which I let go way too cheaply when I bought the DeWalt. I had a good solution, and I let it slip through my fingers.
Your post and at least one other is "operating" under the assumption that DeWalt has not improved the quality of these blades. I have no knowledge that they have not, and at least one post indicated that they had reformulated the steel. So, as far as I'm concerned there can be no firm conclusion as to cost per bd ft or whatever compared to other planers.
There's no love lost between me and DeWalt -- I find fault with them mainly for releasing new machines before all the bugs have been worked out.
And then there's the aftermarket blades. As soon as I finish this *&#$ paperwork I'm consumed by at the moment, I'll look around. Did someone post a few #'s back on that? What was the price??forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
You are right about my assumption. As soon as I have reason to believe that the problem has actually been solved, I will adapt. Rapid adaptation is one of the strengths of the individual.
On the other hand, the strategy I have outlined is, IMO, effective. An individual is the smallest link in any chain. To be heard, an individual can adopt a strategy of exercising options that circumvent unfair manipulations. I believe the individual is the most targeted and manipulated entity in the food chain of business. There is "nothing wrong with that", as Jerry Seinfeld might say. There is also nothing wrong with individuals adopting methods that will place them on more equal footing with those who have greater resources.
I hope this doesn't sound too esoteric. I think the pattern applies to many situations.
One of the best things to happen because of the internet is We all get to find out quickly what is good and what is bad. These knives are an example.
Another is the 1995 ford windstar with its bad head gaskets, I'm sure the ford repair would have been at my cost to fix had the word not spread so fast because of the internet.
Its great to learn of the problems upfront.
Don't forget certain transmission problems that a number of vans have had over the years. I won't mention any names, since I no longer own a van and assume the problems have been fixed.
As a point of interest, I think I read somewhere that it costs a major auto manufacturer somewhere around $3 to 5 billion to tool up whenever they develop a new transmission. No wonder they do more tweaking to fix problems than making major changes.
I remember now, the engine was replaced at 49000, the trans at 59000, the engine started giving problems again at 64000. Ford took it back in a buy back trade in deal. i did like the van other than that!
Sasquatch, your solution to the perceived problem is perfectly reasonable -- if you have the cash. No problem with that! Might be worth it to try the Infinity replacement blades, though.
Funny, while Googling to get more info about the knives, I ran across a blog of sorts, Orangecone.com with some info about the process DeWalt used to design the 735. Pretty darned funny in some ways [emphasis added below].
Nothing specifically to do with our discussion here, but enlightening nonetheless, LOL.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Very interesting about the design of the planer! I think the major factors that moved me were the idea of three blades and the reputation for a smooth finish. Also, the muscular look of the planer did make me think it was more special than the other portables.
I keep mine on its own wheeled bench to move it around the basement. If I were taking a planer to a jobsite, it would not be the DeWalt.
Dewalt Blades
I have this planer and love it. I also have a PJ15HH. It has .006" snipe on both ends of the board about 6" down. I loose a foot every time I use this planer unless I only use it for rough planing. I use the dewalt for finnish planing. It only has .001" snipe. You can but HSS or carbide blades from infinity. Or you can even buy a byrd head and put it in the dewalt. As far a service goes for dewalt, BD, porter cable it's over. It was Delta also but they were bought out so we will have to see on that one. The only thing about the dewalt blades is that you cant use figured wood Like Birds Eye Maple It will chip the knives for sure. Other than that they work fine. It will put a finnish on wood so slick that it need no sanding at all. Check Freud, Amana, and Infinity, and I believe Grizzly has blades for the dewalt or atleast you can buy some for it thru them Hope this helps some Christopher
Sasquatch,It won't hurt DW one bit for you to buy a Makita, but I understand it will make you feel better. If you are going to keep the DW735, you might as well put good knives in it. The investment in the Makita will buy 8 sets of replacement knives for the 735, Why not give one of the aftermarket vendors a try. You won't be giving your money to DW and you won't shell out $400 and need space for 2 portable planers.How long will it take you to go through 16 changes of planer blades?GREG
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Your logic is good. I would still be accomplishing the same thing as far as not giving a reward to someone for making an inferior blade. I think I was going to do the Makita thing for two reasons. First, it was a very close second when I made the decision to buy DeWalt. Second, after giving away my Delta, the significance of having a second planer to do rough work sank in.
I think I'll try the infinity blades next. Does anyone have a good source?
I would try the infinity blades before making the switch to another planer. They are made from better quality german HSS and can be re-sharpened, which makes them more affordable. I've heard at least one positive feedback on these in the past, and plan to buy a set for myself very soon.----As to the quality of the origional blade, I think it depends a LOT on what kind of cut you want. My blades develped nicks almost right away after planing some 8/4 walnut and maple. (50 bd feet) These are annoying, because they must be cleaned up with a cabinet scraper or hand plane... but since it's important to hand plane out the ripple from a machine cut anyway it doesnt' give me much grief. And I've since run a fair amount of wood through my planer with good results. For any out there wondering, my planer is only 6 months old, and was a backorder item so I know it came straight from dewalt (it's a new-ish model). The blades are NOT very good in that they nick too easily, however, they still cut well for a few hundred board feet after that. an interesting aside- my planer came with a promotional free dewalt RO sander.
Perhaps they are trying to appease those people who get nicks in the blade by giving
them a sander to remove those ridges. I would have preferred no sander and better blades.
Where will you get the infinity blades? How much do they cost?
See post #3, this discussion.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Here is the link to the blades for the DW735 on their site.http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1111They are $60 for a set of three double sided knives.
Most importantly, they can be sharpened (unlike the dewalt knives)
so that $60 investment should go much further than factory replacements. They also make pretty nice router bits, and sometimes have great prices on overstock. I am curious about their saw blades as well. Fine Woodworking has only reviewed their dado blade thus far, and it was awarded 'best value'
Theirs is the Dadonator right? That caught my eye as well and the price isn't too shabby either; $185 if I remember.Regards,Bob @ Kidderville AcresA Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 6/12/2007 11:39 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
Yes, that is the Dadonator. You might check out the topic I just started on table saw blades... there were some good comments made by a user of MANY different brands of blades... if you are curious. vincent
The Makita planer is actually a 12", not 13". But it is an excellent planer. I've had mine for almost a year and have flipped the blades only once.
There's a similar discussion going on at Breaktime. I think someone is looking for more information on the Makita there.
I recently bought that same planer. I heard about aftermarket knives, but never could seem to find a set. However, I just discovered this link that sells a High Speed Steel replacement set that can be sharpened.
http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1111
GREG
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Edited 6/8/2007 1:13 pm by Cincinnati
Greg,
Nice to know about these folks. Like the Dadonator very much.
I've had my dw-735 for about 6 months and have run maybe 150 bf through it, cherry, birch, some tiger maple and some hard maple and haven't had any problems with the blades. I know that's not much volume but I've heard some folks say that they've hit knots and they have chipped the blades.
I also heard that DeWalt had problems with the blades in their initial units but they have since corrected them.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 6/8/2007 3:09 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Greg (and anyone else this applies to):
Have any of you actually had the Infinity knives in use? For how long? Are they actually worth the extra cost?
Re: the resharpenable aspect of the Infinities - careful reading of the text at the provided link reveals that they claim the knives can be honed using a diamond stone. I wonder if this is really any different than the DeWalt replacement blades......
The claim of German steel is intriguing - we all know how frustrating cheap steel can be - but is their (Infinity's) steel truly superior to DeWalt's? Barring actual testing, only those with experience with both can speak to this.
Anyone answering to that description out there?
Nope! Just found the link but I will buy a set.I just got my 735. My understanding is that the DeWalt knives cannot be sharpened. I believe this is because you can't raise the knives in the mount. How Infinity gets around this, I don't know. Maybe they are talking about light honing. I don't see why if you took a scosh off the blade edge you couldn't compensate by lowering the head an equal amount. Perhaps this is a question for the folks at Infinity. Now that I've typed this, why can't the DW blades be sharpened?As far as cost: Aren't they about the same as a set from DW?GREG•••••••
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Edited 6/12/2007 6:46 am by Cincinnati
to repeat the caution posted above. The Infinity blades can be HONED.
HONED
HONED
not "sharpened" There's a huge difference. AFAIK, none of the indexed planer blades can be sharpened because it would throw the whole geometry off. No way to get the narrower blade set at the correct height.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I don't get it what are you trying to tell us. Please speak in bigger block letters.
Just kidding, good point. I'm pretty sure that I've run across a thread someplace on the web in which people were honing the dewalt blades as well.
"I'm pretty sure that I've run across a thread someplace on the web in which people were honing the dewalt blades as well." I wouldn't be surprised. Just because Inifinity hypes the "honability" of their blades doesn't mean that characteristic is exclusive, LOL.
Oh, sorry....LOL! tee hee
Only reason I haven't tried with my Delta blades is because I don't think I could keep the pressure even across the full length of the blade.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 6/12/2007 6:48 pm by forestgirl
I wonder if they mean honed?GREG
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What would make a user disgruntled? I find it curious that a design team that can design tools that are, in one way or another, functionally superior to their competition and yet design a blade with such a high failure rate. Certainly enough people have been complaining for a long enough period of time for DeWalt to have remedied the blades or at least offer a premium blade set at a higher cost by now. My only conclusion is that they've intentionally created another continuous income stream.
Add in the fact that you have to pay extra for many of the features that come standard on other planers such as in/outfeed tables, chip collection hose, stand, etc. could add a little edginess to the owner.
Vic
Hey Kingfish:
I have had my 735 for three years, use it often (not daily, but frequently), on a variety of very hard woods. I'm still on the original side of the original blades, cut quality is still just fine, but I will flip them this fall when I start a project for my daughter. Before that, I will plane about 120 feet of red oak for my wife's next thing, and I'll bet the cut quality is still good when I'm done with that.
Some people have legitimate problems with a product-any brand-and some just like to complain. Seems there's a lot of insecurity out there. The 735 is a fine piece. The knives aren't expensive considering that they're double-sided, and it gets consistently great reviews. For what it is and what it's designed to do, it's the best out there. I haven't had a moments dissatisfaction with it.
Steve
There are two secrets to keeping one's wife happy.
1. Let her think she's having her own way.
2. Let her have her own way. President Lyndon Baines Johnson
One set of edges has lasted you three years?? In-credible.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Forestgirl:
Strange but true. I'm not in your league. I'm a hobbyist--weekend warrior. It may be 6 weeks between uses, and some are small time, but some runs have been 150 bd. ft. I take light cuts, and try not to beat the crap out of the blades, but I've run maple, cherry, red and white oak, poplar, pine, yellowheart, chechen, and sweet gum.
Believe it or not, they still cut nicely. If I used my planer as much as some of these guys do, I'd be on another set of knives by now for sure. The point is, anything will wear out and expense is relative. When you factor in the cost of sharpening and the bother of setting knives up again, it seems cost effective to me. But then, I really am an amature.
By the by, how close do you live to "Poverty Rock?
Keep up the posts. I learn a lot reading you.
SteveThere are two secrets to keeping one's wife happy.
1. Let her think she's having her own way.
2. Let her have her own way. President Lyndon Baines Johnson
Getting the balance between time consumed (very light passes) and money spent (replacing knives) may be the hard part. I'm no pro (I have my aspirations, but money-generating projects are only occasional at this point), so I'll caution you about putting me in that league, but I've sure gone through knives alot faster than you do, LOL!
"Poverty Rock" -- feel like I lived on it most of my life -- Big LOL! In reality -- it's not too far from me. I live on Bainbridge Island, which is 9 miles west of Seattle, in the Puget Sound. PR is on Mercer Island, which is accessed from I-90 exit very close to Seattle -- it's in south end of Lake Washington. All assuming you mean the trail that popped up when I Googled to find out what you were referring to. ;-) I've never been to Mercer Island -- place is aboslutely dripping with money -- that's where Bill Gates lives. Funny it would have an attraction called Poverty Rock.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 6/10/2007 11:04 am by forestgirl
Yes! light passes are essential with these benchtop planers. They aren't designed to take 1/8" in one pass with hardwoods. I read a comment on amazon from a user who hated his 735 because it would overheat afer about 100 ft of planing. He was taking the max cut for given width and then getting upset that the planer needed to cool off. I've found the guide for cut depth on my 735 to be, in fact, very optimistic. I tend to only take off a 32nd of and inch with wider hardwoods, and a 16th with cedar and pine. Perhaps this has extended the life of my blades as well. I've never had a problem with overheating, even when planing 12" wide hard maple for 45 minutes. ____In a few months I should have a set of infinity blades. I'll post a review after I've used them for a while.
My trusty Delta died back in the spring. Went to Home Depot with a 10% discount card and bought a DeWalt 735 in factory sealed box, came with the coupon for the sander so I sent it in that night but when I went to set up the planer the next day it was obvious that it was missing parts and would never work. Boxed it back up, read negative things on the various forums about knives and lack of feed rate, took it back and traded for Rigid model they had in stock (no more 735's anywhere in driving range), and set up the Rigid. Don't remember the model but very similar to Delta and Identical to Ryobi on the floor but has 3 knife head and came with lifetime warranty. Long story short, wish I had waited for a 735, bad knives or not! Only bright side was I kept the DW sander when it came a month later for my aggravation!
Forestgirl:
A friend's house overlooks Whidby (spelling?) Island and he and his associates joke about the "poor" people on Mercer Island. He says the whole island is known as Poverty Rock (with tongue firmly in cheek).
At any rate, I enjoy reading your posts. You usually have something enlightening to add, and an experienced point of view is always welcome.
SteveThere are two secrets to keeping one's wife happy.
1. Let her think she's having her own way.
2. Let her have her own way. President Lyndon Baines Johnson
I too have had my DW735 portable planer and the blades dulled within the first 25 ft of planing. I hit a rather large knot and they dulled so badly I had to flip them. The fresh sides of the blades chipped on one end also within the first 25 ft. planned. I've used it on several projects since then and they haven't chipped any further. So far these haven't affected the final finish on my projects as I usually plane down to within 1/8" of desired thickness and then run them through my wide belt sander to final thickness, to clean them up an and eliminate any snipe I may have incurred.
I also own a Ryobi planer and have never had the blades dull so quickly on this planer. I was planing on selling it, but perhaps it might be wise for me to keep it as a back up. I also have had a few instances where the rollers didn't grip well and spun on the wood with the Dewalt. I also would like to hear from anyone who has purchased these after market blades from Infinity or the supposed newer blades from Dewalt.
Danny
FG,I agree with you. I have owned the DW735 for two years. I've gone through one set of knives. My observations:1. A few years ago, DW did have issues with their knives. I think they have been largely resolved.2. Many who complain of this issue are takeing far too deep a cut when they plane. I never take off more than 1/32" at a time. If you do cut too deeply, you will likely overheat and distemper the blades, while at the same time subjecting them to significant mechanical shear forces that will likely distort or chip them.3. It is a benchtop planer with HSS blades. You want to mill faster, pony up for a heavy duty free standing planer with carbide cutters.4. I think there is a wide spread misapprehension about the primary purpose of a planer. The primary purpose is NOT to leave a glass smooth surface that relieves the WWr of any scraping or sanding responsibilities. The primary purpose of a planer (or thicknesser, as it is descriptively referred to) is to plane a side or edge parallel (coplanar) with the opposite, jointed face. If after jointing and planing you have a four-square board, you have succeeded. You can remove the tool marks and surface blemishes with a scraper or finishing plane or sandpaper. A planer is for milling, not finishing. Anything you get in the latter department is a dividend, not a necessity.My 2p,Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Glaucon:
Well said.
SteveThere are two secrets to keeping one's wife happy.
1. Let her think she's having her own way.
2. Let her have her own way. President Lyndon Baines Johnson
Good Planer - Terrible Blades
There was a time years ago when the major razor companies used to practically give away their razors knowing that the recipients would spend many times as much over the years buying blades. I think we have a similar situation here. As a reviewer on another site suggested they probably shaved their selling price to the bottom anticipating a lasting annuity on blade sales. At first DeWalt said they were working on the blade problem when the complaints started pouring in. Well, it's been several years. How much time do they need? I have planed a lot of raw lumber in my life. I currently have a 5HP heavy duty industrial planer but have always liked the convenience of the lunch-box type. I have worn out several of them. I purchased the 735 because of reviews praising the absence of snipe and with the proper table it is indeed possible to eliminate snipe with this machine. But the fact that blades in the 735 dull incredibly fast makes the machine pure junk in my mind. I've tried the so-called "improved" blades and, frankly, they are no better. Metalurgy is not my forte but it does seem to me that the blades are deliberately made too thin. Or, perhaps it's poor design (angle blades sets in cutter head?) I don't know. But I do know that something is terribly wrong and nothing has been done by DeWalt to correct the problem. True, you can get aftermarket blades of carbide but they run about $140 and are not double-sided. Most of the reviews I have read on the blade problem reject the use of the carbide blades. I bought this planer based on FWW review. Perhaps they should run an editorial asking why DeWalt has done nothing to correct the problem.
I am not disgruntled, I also don't plane pre-planed boards from box stores. I see people say they get two years or more from their blades, they are weekend warriors making bird houses. I bought this planer due to the reviews ALL saying it is the cream of the crop in its level - I could not hate the thing more. Issues galore with this tool and it is going up for sale after only owning it 6 months.
Blades price comments are ridiculous, blades cost money no matter what planer so ignore those fools. However, quality is key. I just now put in a brand new set because of chipped(not dull) blades, first run of 1x8x40 poplar and it nicked it, even though it had already been through the planer prior to blade change. The blades chip so fast and I go through so many. Since I bought this 6 months ago, I have bought 6 times more blades than I normally did in an entire year with my old Ridgid. I'm stepping up to a real planer and getting away from this benchtop garbage. I plane cypress and poplar almost exclusively, poplar is barely a hardwood and cypress is a softwood, yet the knives chip. I buy only quality blades and I always try to buy DeWalt blades unless I am rushed. I have never had knife issues ever, and this is my first DeWalt planer but 4th upgrade in planers.
Dust collection, ugh. It has an internal fan that does throw the chips out nicely, but the orifice at the blade that starts the chip collection is 1/2" wide at best and clogs so much. To fix the clog you remove 4 screws from the top, remover the top, remove 3 hands screws and then pull the plenum out to clear the shavings. Do this every other pass when you have 50 boards to do with 5-6 passes each board and eventually you want to throw the thing in the lake.
Thickness issues. The planer has the ridiculously light reset button, one the blades get the slightest bit dull and you are forced to taking 1/64" per pass and it still trips the rest that takes 2 minutes to allow a reset, again you start looking at the lake.
I do custom closets and furniture builds so I use my planer often. I would be fine with a set a week with normal to me use, but I started this morning with a fresh set, they nicked, I shifted one to offset the nick and it nicked again. I then flipped them and the nicked after 20 passes and I have never seen such an aggressive nick that I got this time, it was as if I took a file to the edge and flattened 4" long grooves. So I replaced the blades with the last set I have in house and first pas, first damn pass in already planed poplar it nicked it.
Avoid this total garbage planer with its line of total garbage knives. I have tried Powertec(who used to be my go to) DeWalt, some other brand and China blades, ALL OF THEM nick easily.
Total garbage.
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